Green jobs, according to the International Labour Organization, are decent jobs that contribute to preserve or restore the environment, be they in traditional sectors such as manufacturing and construction, or in new, emerging green sectors such as renewable energy and energy efficiency.

In recent years, green jobs help improve energy and raw materials efficiency, limit greenhouse gas emissions, minimize waste and pollution, protect and restore ecosystems, and support adaptation to the effects of climate change.

Renewable Energy JobsThe International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) estimates that renewable energy employed 7.7 million people, directly or indirectly, around the world in 2014 excluding large hydropower. A global estimate of large hydropower employment, indicates approximately 1.5 million direct jobs in the sector.

Last year’s global agreements: a global agenda of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty by 2030 and pursue a sustainable future as well as the Paris Agreement, to combat climate change, and unleash actions and investment towards a low carbon, resilient and sustainable future will certainly create more green jobs.

Questions arise on how students and job seekers can find information about green jobs so that they can decide on what jobs to pursue as students or fresh graduates.

All Ivy Career FairThe Ivy League Schools — Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University - has been collaborating in an annual All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair.

Each year, the eight Ivy League schools come together to organize a career fair that let representatives of companies and organizations meet undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D level students and conduct on-site interviews. These students have the skills and knowledge to address the complex sustainability challenges of global economy.

The 13th Annual All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair took place at Columbia University on March 4 from 10.00 AM to 03.00 PM.

Recruiters CategoryStudents, 1200 of them, came from all the Ivy League Schools to meet 82 prospective employers. The organizers categorized employers into several classifications. Organization types were For Profit, Non-Profit, and Governmental. Positions ranged from Permanent/Full-Time and Temporary, to Part-Time. There were also options whether employers seek US Citizens/Permanent Residents or International Students.

An important category at the All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair was the industry that recruited students. The industry has 17 sections: clean tech, consulting, consumer goods, education, energy, financial/insurance, food and beverage, health care, industrials, media/communications, real estate/construction/architecture, retail, technology, travel/leisure, conservation, engineering, and environmental.

Visit.orgKarida Humaira, a climate leader from Indonesia and a graduate student at Columbia University went to the recent All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair. Two weeks before the event, Columbia University ran a workshop on Navigating the Ivy Career Fair. In this event students learn how to perfect their resumes, engage with prospective employers, and network effectively.

Karida likes traveling, diving, hiking and photo hunting; therefore, she excitedly contacted Visit.org, an online marketplace for tours and activities that benefit communities. Its mission is to enhance the mission of great social organizations and increase public knowledge of and engagement with society's needs by facilitating mutually-beneficial, in-person encounters between people and communities around the world.

Through its website Visit.org promotes interesting tours by local communities such as Get lost in the magical mangroves of Bahía Málaga in Colombia, Enjoy a Cultural Adventure in South India, and Walk the wild wonders of the Amazon cloud forest.

As a start-up company with a co-working space in Soho, New York, Visit.org specializes in travel, social enterprise, social impact, nonprofits, fundraising, public policy, community development, economic development, poverty alleviation, arts, education, environment, health.

Less than three weeks after the career fair, Visit.org interviewed Karida to learn about her skills and interests. She also had to submit some exercises related to visit.org programs. Approximately one month after the All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair, Visit.org invited Karida Humaira to join the organization as a social media intern.

There is indeed a growing demand for environmental and sustainable development professionals in a range of sectors and a career fair is a perfect event for recruiters and top talent to connect and discuss career opportunities associated with green jobs.

----------Text: Amanda NiodeImage: All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair